Randstad

Randstad Randstad Regio
Conurbation
Amsterdam, the Netherlands' capital and largest city
Rotterdam, second largest city in the Netherlands
Coordinates: 52°24′N 4°54′E / 52.400°N 4.900°E / 52.400; 4.900
Country	Netherlands
Provinces	Flevoland  North Holland  South Holland  Utrecht
Largest cities	Amsterdam Rotterdam The Hague Utrecht
Other municipalities	Almere Haarlem Haarlemmermeer Zaanstad Zoetermeer Leiden Dordrecht Alphen aan den Rijn Westland Delft
Area [a]
• Conurbation	11,372.15 km2 (4,390.81 sq mi)
• Land	8,261.98 km2 (3,189.97 sq mi)
• Water	3,110.17 km2 (1,200.84 sq mi)
• Urban [2]	6,296.91 km2 (2,431.25 sq mi)
Highest elevation	69 m (226 ft)
Lowest elevation	−6.76 m (−22.18 ft)
Population  (1 January 2021)[3][b]
• Conurbation	8,403,915[1]
• Density	738.99/km2 (1,914.0/sq mi)
• Urban	7,146,249
• Urban density	1,134.88/km2 (2,939.3/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Randstedeling (inhabitant), Randstedelijk (adjective)
GDP
• Conurbation	€510.181 billion (2022)[4]
• Per capita	€60,700 (2022)
Website	Regio-Randstad.eu/

The Randstad (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɑntstɑt] ^ⓘ; "Rim City" or "Edge City") is a roughly crescent- or arc-shaped conurbation in the Netherlands, that includes almost half the country's population. With a central-western location, it connects and comprises the Netherlands' four biggest cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht), their suburbs, and many towns in between, that all grew and merged into each other. Among other things, it includes the Port of Rotterdam (the world's busiest seaport outside Asia), the Port of Amsterdam (Europe's fourth-busiest seaport), and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (the busiest airport in Europe by aircraft movements). With a population of approximately 8.4 million people^[1] it is one of the largest metropolitan regions in Europe,^[b] comparable in population size to the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region or the San Francisco Bay Area, and covers an area of approximately 11,372 km² (4,391 sq mi).^[a] The Randstad had a gross regional domestic product of €510 billion in 2022,^[4] making it the second most productive region in the European Union, only behind the Paris metropolitan area. It encompasses both the Amsterdam metropolitan area and Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area. It is part of the larger Blue Banana megalopolis.

The Randstad's main cities are Almere, Amsterdam, Delft, Dordrecht, Haarlem, The Hague, Leiden, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Zoetermeer. Other towns include Alkmaar, Alphen aan den Rijn, Amersfoort, Amstelveen, Capelle aan den IJssel, Gouda, Heerhugowaard, Hilversum, Hoofddorp, Hoorn, Lelystad, Nieuwegein, Oudewater, Purmerend, Rijswijk, Schiedam, Spijkenisse, Vlaardingen, Zaandam and Zeist.

Although the name Randstad is often translated into English as "edge city" or "border city", a more accurate translation would be "rim city". The Dutch name was coined in 1938 by KLM founder Albert Plesman who, while flying over the region, used it to describe a strip of cities at the rim of a large green agricultural area (the Green Heart).^[5] While technically more of a crescent (the southeastern edge of the rim is significantly less populated), the ring shape formed by connecting the four major cities of the region led to the use of the name "Ring City".^[5][6]